Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-20
TEXAN HONOR AT STAKE
A JUDGE PROTESTS AGAINST
THE INVESTIGATION.

The State Legislature Urged to Make 1t
Warm for the United States Senate
More Sensational Chapters Added to
Those Previously Told Before the
Committee at Washington,
AUSTIN, TEX, Feb. 19.-Hon. Gustave
Cook, Criminal District Judge of Calves
ton and Harris counties, has memorial
lied the Legislature on the outrage of the
United States Senate in examining into
the Washington county alleged outrages.
The memorial is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Representatives. of
The State 0f Yes1s'
AS citizen of the State l beg to memorial
ize your honorable bodies and respectfully
urge the passage of the following joint reso-
luton as the expression of the people OF
Texas: Be it
ReSotosd, By the Senate and House of Rep
resentatives of the State of Texas that the
action of the majority OF the United states
Senate in causing committee to investigate
the charges against the people of Washington
county, upon the lnstlgatlon of a trio of dis
reputable renegades who are fugltives from
justice, if not from legal prosecution,
is insulting to Texas, as well as to every
State In the Union, is unwarranted by law
and without the scope of the Senate's author
lty. Ihat being so. any appropriations or
eXpendltureso Of money belonging to the United
States for such purpose is fraudulent conver
sion thereof without the consent OF the
owner, and is embezzlement, o felony under
the law, and its author should be punished
by confinement in the penitentiary for not
less than two nor more than ten years,
And be it further ses0iued, That it is the
sense OF the Senate and House of Representa-
tlves of Texas that this conduct of the United
States Is actuated by partisan motives and
promoted by class whose every pretenslon
to patriotism is evinced by hatred and ma
levolence toward the people of the South,
whom they have persistently prosecuted by
every manner and means of expression they
could invent, since they have wrongfully as
sumed that the Southern people were helpless
and unable to resist their tyranny or resent
their insults; and be it further
Res0I0ed, That in our best Judgment. no
citizen is bound to obey their pretended
authority in this behalf, and the civil authori-
ties are advised to interpose by all lawful
means for the protection of our citizens
against this unlawful and high handed
usurpatlon. GUsTAvE COOK.
The Legislature has taken no action on
the memorial, and the members are in a
quandary as to what disposition to make
of it, there being diversity of opinion
There are those who believe that while
the outrage investigation is in progress
In Washington action upon the memorial
would be ill-advised. Others want to
bury it, while. others agree with Judge
Cook and may make an effort to bring It
up for disposal.
THE INVESTIGATION.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19.-In the Texas
investigation to-day Riggs p. Hackworth
! (white J, a brother of one of the memorial.
lsts, was sworn and examined. He is q
Justice of the Peace of Brenham and a
Republican. The feeling toward the
Republicans following the election last
! November was very bitter. The witness
was several times advised by Democratic
friends not to stay at his home, and In
consequence he left for time with his
family. On one occasion he was in.
formed that crowd had assem- bled
threatening to go and shoot into the wit
ness house. This was the day that his
brother memorialist left Brennan. The
witness was asked to describe the cir.
cumstances of mis- brothers leaving. He
said he had heard great many threats
toward his brother. His brother told
him he had sold his property and was tC
leave the next day.
A MOB IN THE STREET.
Half an hour later Democratic FRIEND
came into the witness office and pointed
to crowd of forty or fifty men on the
street, aud said they insisted upon hi
brothers. leaving that night. The witness
got his mother to persuade his brother tC
/ leave that night. The witness, however,
called upon prominent Democratic
friend to ask If his brother could remain
until the next day, fearing that his house
would be burned down before ht
could get pay for 1t. This
friend said Judge Kirk assured him ht
could control the crowd, but the frient
finally concluded that the brother ha(
better leave that night, and to facilitate
the departure this friend drew his checl
for $l00. The witness and two or three
| friends escorted his brother to the depo
at 7 o'clock that evening. There was
crowd OF several hundred men at the de
pot, but they did nothing except to rails
yell as the train pulled out.
THE INQUEST.
The witness held an inquest over tn
bodies OF the three lynched negroes. Th
inquest continued all day and then ad
journed over two days to get NOR
evidence. During this interval two o
the Jurors asked the witness TO call th
Jury together and have the thing finished
as they had been warned not to ask TO-
many questions and were afraid. o.
cross-examination the witness said b.
received two written notices to leave an,
several verbal warnings by friends to loo
out.
Ouestion-We hadn't there been
great many Republican office-holders Il
Washington county before.
Answer-Yes sir.
Ouestion-Now, inasmuch as Republ
can office holders had been in office ther
without any threats or molestation before
how do you account tor the fact tina
threats were made this time?
THE EXPLANATION.
II account for it this way, that the Re
publican ticket was elected this time an
the Democrats didn't want to give up tn
offices, and by that plan they could scare
of the Republicans from contestng."
The witness further explained tina
until two years ago the Republicans ha
, held the Offices, but two yaS6FM1 owinI
to Republican spill liaaeBemocrats wer
victorious. The Rep1tlicans surrendere
the Offices, and III was, the witnes
thought, to retain the hold the DemC
/ Gratis thus acquired that they created th
excitement of last November. The wi
ness for time sent his family TO tn
houses Of neigh Dors to spend the nights
3 while the witness himself sometime
spent the night in tue woods and at 9th
3 ers stayed az nome surrounded by guar
> OF friends.
RADICALS NOW IN OFFICE.
Senator Eustice named several Repul
Iioan ofiice-holders who are no
) serving in Washington count,
and the witness said, in repl
/, to his Inquiries, that though the
, had received notices to leave they ha
not been disturbed in the discharge
paul Ericka yxhital was sworn. Ha